


Familiarity

by jadetea



Series: Together, Apart [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Break Up, F/F, Not Happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 23:23:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12069057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadetea/pseuds/jadetea
Summary: Surviving the war against Salem—it wasn't winning, not to Ruby—left scars behind that no one else understood. No one understood how your scars—physical and mental—are more than just the sum of their parts. Weiss knew that cold nights made Ruby’s knees ache, and how her aches and pains dragged her mind to dark places.





	Familiarity

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who are familiar with my work, be aware that this very different from what I usually do—as the tags say, this is not happy.

Ruby doesn't remember when they fell in love. There wasn’t a moment of revelation or dramatic confession—maybe they had always been a little in love with each other.

Study sessions turned into study dates. Nights in town changed from team bonding to double dating. Hugs became kisses, which became…more.

***

_ “Weiss!” _

_ “Yes, Ruby?” _

_ “Weiss!!” _

_ “… yes?” _

_ “Weiss!!!” _

_ “Don’t just say my name, you dolt!” _

_ “But it's so cute how you blush when I do that!” _

_ “T-that’s not important! Now, did you need some—mmph!” _

_ …  _

_ “Ruby!” _

_ “That's what I wanted!” _

***

The butterflies in Ruby’s stomach never really left—there would always be something new, something beautiful in Weiss that made her fall all over again. Despite their initial friction, the two now complemented each other seamlessly.

Ruby knew she’d always be there for Weiss—she’d always  _ want _ to be there for Weiss—and that underneath Weiss’ prickly demeanor, she felt the same.

***

_ “If I was just a little faster…” _

_ “Ruby, no. You can’t…you did the best you could.” _

_ “And it wasn't enough!  _ **_I’m_ ** _ not good enough!” _

_ …  _

_ “You’re good enough for me, Ruby.” _

_ “That's—” _

_ “And you're more than good enough to be a Huntress.” _

***

Ruby understood why all the books said the best lovers are your best friend—she didn't know if anyone really knew her as well as Weiss did. They trusted their fears and dreams—secrets they’d never shared before—with each other. 

Surviving the war against Salem—it wasn't winning, not to Ruby—left scars behind that no one else understood. No one understood how your scars—physical and mental—are more than just the sum of their parts. Weiss knew that cold nights made Ruby’s knees ache, and how her aches and pains dragged her mind to dark places.

***

_ “Ruby, you can't keep pushing yourself like this.” _

_ “I’m not…I’m just doing my job—I’m a huntress!” _

_ “Yes, you are—so it is your  _ **_duty_ ** _ to take care of yourself so that you can protect others!” _

_ “Look, I— _

_ “You don't have to do everything, Ruby! You are one huntress taking more jobs than  _ **_teams_ ** _ do!” _

_ “Are you saying I can't handle it!?” _

_ “No! I’m saying you shouldn't  _ **_need_ ** _ to! You  _ **_don't_ ** _ need to!” _

_ …  _

_ “Don’t I, though? Every day I spend waiting on this  _ **_stupid_ ** _ knee, people die! A village gets wiped off the map! I can’t just sit here and—” _

_ “Ruby. You can't save everyone. I know you want to—and I love how fiercely you try to—but you can’t. You can’t, and it's not your fault.” _

_ … _

_ “I wish I could.” _

_ “I know, Ruby. I know.” _

***

For every tender moment, however, there were brutal, ugly fights. The consequence of knowing your partner so deeply was awareness of every weak spot. It was morbidly beautiful—they knew how best to hurt each other because of how much they trusted each other.

They had spent so much time mending the tears in the other’s soul, only to rip the patchwork away from within. It was much more difficult to fix after that; there’s something insincere about soothing a wound you caused.

***

_ “Ruby. You were really hurt this time. You need to…you can't keep taking these jobs alone.” _

_ “Maybe I wouldn't need to if I had a partner!” _

_ “You know why I can't! You said you understood why I need to do this!” _

_ “And you know why I can't stop! Why do  _ **_you_ ** _ get to decide what we can do?” _

_ “That isn’t—I’m not ‘deciding’ anything! I just don't want to have to see my girlfriend in a hospital bed every other month!” _

_ “Yeah, that sounds right, since it seems like you don't want to see me at all!” _

_ “I never said that!” _

_ “You don't have to! When was the last time you saw me outside of a hospital or your office?” _

_ “That’s not fair! You’re the one who's in a different kingdom every other week!” _

_ “Better than sitting here with my thumb up my ass waiting for you to remember I exist! _

_ … _

_ “Is that really how it feels? Do I—Is that what being with me is to you?” _

_ “…” _

_ “Ruby, please.” _

_ “Not…not always. But sometimes. The last time I took a break from hunting we barely even saw each other.” _

_ “It was tax seas—…it was bad timing, but I should have made more time for you—I’m going to make more time for you.” _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ “Yes. As a  _ **_different_ ** _ matter, I would like you to consider taking less contracts—or at least going with a freelance group if you're going to take on something crazy.” _

_ “I…I can do that.” _

***

Once something breaks, it’s never fully whole again—never as strong as it once was. Ruby knows this too well from the many times she’s had to mend Crescent Rose. There's only so many times a piece of metal could be bent and scratched before it breaks under strain.

***

_ “You told me Yang was coming with you.” _

_ “You told me you’d take a week off for our vacation.” _

_ … _

_ “Really? Is this how you're going to handle this?” _

_ “Seems so.” _

_ “Ruby. I  _ **_said_ ** _ I was sorry that I got called away! That's not an excuse for you to throw your life away!” _

_ “You went to your job, so I went to mine!” _

_ “That is  _ **_not_ ** _ the same and you know it!” _

_ “Yeah, you're right. My job saves lives—what about yours? Is some fat board member going to die from a paper cut because you're not there?” _

_ “Really? Is that what you think of me? Since I’m not throwing myself at Grimm, then my work is worthless?” _

_ “I didn’t say— _

_ “You didn't. But you  _ **_meant_ ** _ it. I have  _ **_always_ ** _ respected your dream, Ruby, but I guess it's too much to believe you would do the same.” _

_ “I…We—At Beacon your dream was to become a Huntress to take back your family name, not push papers in an office!” _

_ “That is  _ **_not_ ** _ what I do! Do you know how  _ **_hard_ ** _ it is to change an entire  _ **_industry_ ** _ singlehandedly? If you don't go, a village dies. If  _ **_I_ ** _ don't go, some racist asshole will ensure the death of  _ **_generations_ ** _ of Faunus!” _

_ …  _

_ “I’m sorry, Weiss. I…I know what you do is important—really, I do. I just wish it didn't make you so  _ **_busy_ ** _ all the time.” _

_ “…” _

_ “Weiss—” _

_ “This isn't what I wanted to discuss. Do you know why I’m upset you didn't bring Yang?” _

_ “It was a hard mission, I get it. I shou—” _

_ “You  _ **_almost died_ ** _ Ruby.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “You would have  _ **_died_ ** _ if I hadn't called Yang to check in with you.” _

_ “But I—I cleared the nest out! I was just making camp to rest before I headed home!” _

_ “Your aura was low—it wasn't regenerating fast enough to heal you and deal with the Taijitu venom. If Yang hadn't found you and given you some of her own…” _

_ “…” _

_ “You’ve been lying about your other missions too.” _

_ “No—” _

_ “The reason your aura was so low in the first place is because you have stress fractures and muscle damage all over your body. The injuries are too severe for just this mission, and if you had been working with a freelance group, the agency would have required a check up before every contract.” _

_ “…” _

_ “Ruby, I love you, but I can't do this anymore. I can't—” _

_ “Weiss! You know why I have to—” _

_ “What? What do you have to do? Throw your life away without a thought for the ones you would leave behind? I can't keep wondering if the next phone call I get will tell me you're dead! I can't keep letting you make me feel like it's  _ **_my fault_ ** _ you're in that bed because I chose a different path to change the world! _

_ “Maybe I do let myself get too busy, but all the time we spend together it's like you don't even care that I’m there—it's like spending time with me doesn't matter since I’m not hunting with you!” _

_ “Weiss…” _

_ “…” _

_ “Weiss.“ _

_ “…” _

_ “Weiss, I’m sorry.” _

_ “I’m sorry too.” _

***

Ruby doesn't remember when they fell in love, but she remembers when they said goodbye. 

**Author's Note:**

> As I said, this is a rather large shift from the fluff/humor I usually write. My goal was to portray the hard parts of a long term relationship—nothing stays perfect forever, and small differences build resentment when not communicated and dealt with properly.
> 
> Neither Ruby nor Weiss should be "blamed". At least, not individually. Both had reoccurring behaviors that built resentment (Ruby's risk taking, Weiss' work addiction), but they never discussed what _caused_ those behaviors or fixed the underlying issues.
> 
> When writing the dialogue, I heavily influenced by the first episode of "Hidden Brain", an NPR podcast, that explained why people sometimes have difficulty communicating their issues—they're sometimes literally having different conversations!


End file.
